LAHORE - While the government plans to hold census between March and May, an international NGO says the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s population was 203.4 million in mid-2016, making it the 6th largest country in the world.

Population Reference Bureau (PRB) issued country-wise 2016 World Population Data Sheet with a special focus on human needs and sustainable resources.

The data reveals that world population reached 7.4 billion where Pakistan’s scale is going up to 265.6 million at mid-2030 and 344 million at mid-2050. It makes Pakistan 6th largest country in the world.

The data sheet throws light that 36 percent of Pakistan’s population is under 15 and only 4 percent comprises above 65.

Pakistan has 3.7 percent total fertility rate which ranks the country 56 out of 196 countries in the world. The birth ratio in Pakistan is 30 per 1,000 population and seven deaths per 1,000. 67 is the infant mortality rate and 178 are maternal deaths per 100,000 births of Pakistan.

In the category of health and planning, the data sheet shows that 66 and 67 years is the life expectancy of males and females, respectively. The most hazardous virus in the world is HIV while Pakistan had zero percent HIV/AIDS males in 2015 and 1 percent female AIDS/HIV patients between 15 and 49 years of age. There are 35 percent married women that use contraception (all methods) and 26 percent married women use modern contraception methods.

In Pakistan, 668 people are living in one square kilometre of arable land and 11 percent terrestrial land is declared under protected land status.

The electricity crisis has greatly damaged the country’s economy. According to data sheet, 94 percent population has access to electricity. Pakistan is producing 45 percent total energy consumption from renewable sources. The alarming ratio which has been shared in the data sheet is about the carbon emission rate to which climate change has been directly affected. Pakistan is emitting 19.9 million metric tons per year in 1992 and it has increased 21.2 percent annually and the carbon emission percentage in 2013 was 41.8 as per data available to PRB (Population Reference Bureau).

According to the report, 18 percent of energy was consumed globally from renewable sources, including hydro power.

Most Populous Countries

China is the most populous country in the world with 1,378 million people, India is at No 2 with 1,329 million and the United States stands third in the world with 324 million. Indonesia has 259 million, Brazil 206 million, Pakistan 203 million, Nigeria 187 million, Bangladesh 163 million, Russia 144 million and Mexico 129 million people. India is going to be the first largest country with 1,708 million.

Highest and Lowest Fertility Rates, 2016

Niger has 7.6 percent, the highest fertility rate in the world, and while Spain has the lowest fertility rate with 1.3 percent.

Air Pollution Challenge

The data sheet also reveals middle-income countries face biggest air pollution challenge. Worldwide, the highest national-level concentrations of PM2.5 are in middle-income countries such as China and Bangladesh where adoption of pollution control measures has lagged behind rapid industrialisation. The challenge for both low-income and middle-income nations is to ensure that people have clean air to breathe without hindering development. As depicted in the accompanying US graphic particulate, air pollution in many of the world’s high-income countries has declined with shifts towards more efficient energy use and away from manufacturing. However, no group of countries is immune to the dangers of air pollution; even the high-income average surpasses the World Health Organization’s target of limiting the presence of PM2.5 to no more than 10 micrograms per cubic meter of it. China currently is over five times this level, while France exceeds the recommended level by 40 percent.

India

India is the second largest country in the world with 1,329 million people. According to Population Reference Bureau data sheet, India would be the world’s most populous country by mid-2030 soon and by mid-2050, it would have population of 1,708 million. 29 percent of Indian population is under the age of 15. And only 6 percent of its population is above 65. 2.3 percent is the total fertility rate in India.

In the health sector and family planning category of PRB data sheet, 67 is the life expectancy at birth (years) males and 70 is on female side. 54 percent married women from 15 to 49 uses all methods for contraception and 47 percent married women use modern methods. India’s 33 percent population falls under the category of urban population. India’s 79 percent population has access to electricity. India is using 39 percent of total energy consumption from renewable sources. 

The world population would hit 10 billion mark in 2053 if the assumptions underlying PRB’s 2050 projections are applied to subsequent years.

“Despite decline in fertility rates around the world, we expect population gains to remain strong enough to take us toward a global population of 10 billion,” said Jeffrey Jordan, president and CEO of PRB.

PRB’s projections show Africa’s population will reach 2.5 billion by 2050, while the number of people in America will rise by only 223 million to 1.2 billion. Asia will gain about 900 million to 5.3 billion, while Europe will register a decline from 740 million to 728 million. Oceania (which includes Australia and New Zealand) would rise from 40 million to 66 million.

The combined population of the world’s least developed countries in the world will double by 2050 to 1.9 billion. There are 48 least developed countries, based on the United Nations criteria, most of which are in Africa.

The population in 29 countries will be more than two times. Nearly all these countries are in Africa.

Forty-two countries will register population declines. These countries are scattered throughout Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Some European countries such as Romania will post significant declines.

The population of the United States will be 398 million, up 23 percent from 324 million today.

 Over 25 percent of the world’s population is less than 15 years old. The figure is 41 percent in least developed countries and 16 percent in more developed countries.

Japan has the oldest population profile, with over a quarter of its citizens older than 65. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are at the other end of the spectrum, with each having only 1 percent over 65.

The top 10 fertility rates in the world are in sub-Saharan African countries, with nearly all above six children per woman, and one topping seven. In Europe, the average is 1.6.

The fertility rate in the United States is 1.8 children per woman, down from 1.9 in 2014. “Replacement” fertility in the United States—that is the rate at which the population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, excluding the effects of migration—is 2.1 children per woman.

Thirty-three countries in Europe and Asia already have more people over age 65 than under 15. There was globally 60 percent increase in annual carbon emission between 1992 and 201 to 9.8 billion metric tons. China posted largest increase by volume over this period, from 735 million.